Toy



Oct. 18, 1932. v 5; wu 1,883,265

TOY

Filed Aug. 24, 1928 In yen for 5. F Wu a aer Patented Get. 18, 1932PATENT OFFICE BENJAMIN .E. 'WUPIPER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS Applicationfiled August 24, 1928.

My invention relates generally to puzzle toys and more particularly toCartes1an divers and similar toys.

A Cartesian diver is the name customarily used to describe a scientifictoy which comprises a sealed container, having one or more slightlyflexible walls, filled with a liquid in which a small diver normallyhaving a specific gravity slightly less than that of the liquid, isimmersed. The diver usually has an air pocket hydraulically incommunication with the liquid so that when the pressure of the liquid isincreased by application of force to the flexible wall or walls of thecontainer the air-in the diver is compressed sufficiently to make thespecific gravity of the diver greater than that of the liquid in whichit is immersed, causing it to sink to the bottom of the container.

It is the object of my invention to provide a puzzle toy, employing theprinciple of the Cartesian div-er, which will be entertaining,interesting, amusing, and which will require skill and ingenuity for itsoperation.

It is a further object to provide an improved toy of this type which issimple in construction and may be economically manufactured.

A further object is to provide an improved means for excluding air fromthe container.

A further object is to provide a simple maze through which the diver isadapted to be directed.

A further object is to provide an improved 5 diver which will rotate andhave irregular movements imparted to it as an incident to its verticaltravel.

Other obj ects will appear from the follow- 40 ing description,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the container, a portion thereof being brokenaway to show the maze;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof in which portions of the gasket and coverare broken away;

Fig. 3 is a central vertical sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig.2;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the diver with the Serial No. 301,811.

, portion 12 which constitutes in effect a movable container wall. Thecover has a small air vent aperture 14 adjacent its edge. This toaperture is normally closed by an annular gasket 16 which preventsleakage between the cover and jar.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, a maze designated generally as 18 ispreferably stamped 7 from a single sheet 19 of thin metal, celluloid, orother suitable material, or molded out of hard rubber or itssubstitutes. A plurality of prongs or fingers 20 are punched from thesheet and bent so as to project substantially vertically from the sheet.Other prongs 22 are punched from the sheet in a similar manner but arebent at an angle of approximately 15 to the plane of the sheet. Theprongs 20 and 22 are preferably arranged in vertical alignment, theprongs 22 being disposed in pairs so as to form a barrier across thevertical channels formed between the prongs 20. Two relatively largeopenings 24 and 26 are formed in the sheet 19, the removed portions ofthe sheet being bent back to form bafiles 28 and 30. One side of thesheet is bent outwardly to form a wall 31 extending nearly the fullheight of the sheet. A pair of ears 32 formed at one side of the sheet19 are adapted to project into slots 31 at the other side of the sheet.

The sheet 19, formed as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, is bent into cylindricalshape and the ears 82 passed through their corresponding slots 34 andbent over. 7

As illustrated in Fig. 4, a thin walled hollow acorn shaped diver 36 isprovided with a pair of warped fins 38. The diver may be made of rubber,celluloid or any other matemost prongs 20, limits upward movement of thediver.

The maze 18 and diver 36 are placed in the jar and the jar filled with asuitable liquid, ordinarily and herein assumed to be water. This maybest be accomplished by totally immersing the jar in water and screwingon the cover under water. If, however, this method is not practicable,the jar may be filled brimful with water and the cap screwed down whileholding the jar in such a position that practically all of the air willbe forced out through the vent 14. When the cover is completely screweddown the vent will be sealed b the gasket 16.

Theobject or the puzzle toy is to make the diver travel through the mazewithout tilting or inverting the jar. This may of course be done bymanually applying pressure to the bulge 12 in the cover 10. Since thereis no air in the jar, or at most only a minute quantity, this pressurewill be transmitted undiminished to the diver, and by slight flexure andcompression of the wall of the diver, to the air within, compressing theair and thus increasing the specific gravity of the diver until it isgreater than 1.00 when the diver will descend. During the descent (andsubsequent ascent) of the diver, "the fins 38 will cause the diver torotate, and if one of the fins is longer than the other, cause the diverto follow a helical downward path. The diver may be made to movelaterally by rotating the jar, and thus pass through the openingsbetween the barriers formed by the prongs and 22.

The path through the maze is indicated by the arrows and dotted line 42in Fig. 5, the start and home position being within the central well 44(Fig. 2) which communicates with the maze proper through the openings 24and 26. The various openings formed in the sheet make it possible to seethe diver when it is within the well and permit relatively freeagitation of the water when the jar is moved.

The intricacy of the puzzle may be increased by using a plurality ofdivers, operating within a single maze, or operatingin a number ofseparate mazes. When a plurality of divers are used they are preferablymade to contain difierent volumes of air so that,

upon an application of a given liquid pressure, their speclfic gravitieswill vary diflercnt degrees, with the result that (assuming otherconditions to be unchanged) the divers will have different velocities ofdescent and ascent. Other conditions, such as a change of the materialof the diver, a variation of the thickness (and therefore resiliency) ofthe walls of the diver, use of difierent ballast, or change of shape,may be used to accomplish the same result; that is, cause the severaldivers in the same ar to descend and ascend at different speeds. Fig. 4ashows a diver comprising a body 3661/. having fins 38a and a ballast a.It will be noted that this diver .has a larger volume of air, its wallsare thinner, and it will thus descend at a rate different from the divershown in Fig. 4.

If desired the diver may be made of different shape and color insimulation of deep sea divers, mermaids, bathing girls, fish and similarfigures, and the maze decorated by decalcomania transfer or otherwise toform a harmonious background for the particular figure used. The design,shape and general characteristics of the maze may be varied greatly asdesired. Likewise the container may be in practically any desired shape,one shape in particular being very advantageous, namely, that of asphere. When using a spherical container the maze may be made sphericaland placed so as to be concentric with the container.

It is also within the broadest scope of my invention to provide, a mazein a liquid container, utilizing a buoyant object in place of theCartesian diver. In such modified structure the container will be tiltedto cause the buoyant object to follow the path of the maze.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerousmodifications and varia tions of my invention may be made withoutdeparting from the basic principles thereof.

I claim:

1. In combination, a sealed container, a liquid therein, a one piecethree dimensional maze within said container, and a Cartesian diveradapted to be moved through said maze.

2. A toy comprising a closed container filled with a liquid, a pluralityof Cartesian divers therein, said divers having different speeds ofmovement when subjected to the same pressure, and a maze channeled topermit passage of said divers.

8. A toy comprising a container substantially filled with a liquid, anelement buoyant with respect to said liquid, and a maze confined in saidcontainer and having a passageway for said element.

4. A puzzle toy comprising a closed liquid container having a manuallymovable wall, a maze in said container, and a Cartesian diver withinsaid container and adapted to travel through said maze.

5. In combination, a closed container, a liquid therein, athree-dimensional maze within said container, and a Cartesian diveradapted to be moved through said maze, said diver having externalinclined fins formed thereon, whereby said diver Will be moved in adirection other than the vertical as an incident to its verticalmovement through the liquid.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 22nd day ofAugust, 1928.

BENJAMIN F. WUPPER.

